It’s taking me longer than it’s supposed to to get my driver’s license. My learner’s permit is going to run out in 2 months, and I don’t know if I’ll be ready to take (and eventually pass?) my driving test before then.
It really doesn’t help at all that I have nobody to practice driving with. My mother was the one I practiced with before (the only one in my family who can drive), and she left the family. I’ve been practicing with my driving teacher, but I don’t know if that’s enough.
I really don’t know what to do. I mean, I’ll talk about it to my driving teacher when I see him tomorrow, but I’m really worried.
Just relax you will do just fine. Ask your driving teacher what you need to work on and find someone who has a license to practice with. I can only assume that a Quebec lic is harder to get than a Texas one, but almost anyone can drive. I know I have taught a moron or six how to do it. Good luck and believe in yourself
Not sure how busy your local DMV (don’t know the Quebec equivalent, apologies!) is, but you may need to make your road test appointment now. I know that here in MA you need to make the appointment weeks and weeks in advance.
Make the appointment, and talk to your instructor about what you need to focus on. It will give you a deadline to work against!
ETA - this is coming from someone who is too chicken to take the road test, so take my advice with a grain of salt!
I was in the process of typing out detailed reasons why you’d do just fine. But then I realized no, doesn’t matter what I say, you’ll be as terrified as I was. But you CAN do it. I was terrified and so were both of my sisters. Driving and not being terrified comes naturally to some folks, none of whom I’m related to, but you can learn anyway! You’ll do fine.
Look at all the people you wouldn’t trust to feed your cat while you were on vacation who have licences. They did it, so can you. I failed my first time, but passed with noo problems the second time around. I would assume that your instructor has no reason to lie to you, ask them if they think you are ready. Just remember that the fate of the world rests on your shoulders; fail and we all die! KIDDING!
Just take a deep breath, stay calm, pay attention and you will do fine.
What aspect of the test concerns you? If it’s parallel parking (most people’s major aggravation) you can do that in a parking lot with some sawhorses and a willing victim who is willing to loan you thier vehicle. That way you aren’t on the road and the insurance thing is less of an issue.
Best of luck. I’ve had my G2 for a little over a year now; it took me four tries, and I think I’d have needed more if it hadn’t been for all of those hours of practice with my brother. I took my G road test last week, and didn’t pass it; no big trauma, but now I’ve got a sheet of yellow paper on my dining room table full of little tick-marks for things I didn’t even realize I was doing wrong.
Don’t feel bad if you flunk. It’s inconvenient, but everybody I went to high school with flunked their first road test, including me. You just need to keep practicing, and it’s sometimes hard to get the practice in. What you might consider doing is working harder to find an adult who can sit in the passenger seat while you practice. I understand this may be very difficult for you, but if you recognize that the only way you’ll get better is the practice, and the only way you can practice is with someone supervising you, then maybe you can move this higher in your priorities list than just worrying about it.
Just to add, when you pass your test(which you will) please do not participate in the other Canadian National sport, Tailgating. It seems like every single time I drive anywhere in Canada there is a vehicle 1 metre/39.4in behind me even when I am going 100 kph/60mph. That is not to say we Texans are any better, our sport is random lane changes without indicators/turn signals and undertaking(passing in the slow lane)
…would linking Follow The Leader get hard objects thrown at me?
+1 on talking with the instructor. Do you have a car that you can use to practice with your friends coaching? Is there a nearby large parking lot you can use to practice tight maneuvers (parallel parking as swampspruce suggested but also others such as turns)?
I failed my first written and my first Florida practical (can’t call it a roadtest, no roads involved). The license doesn’t say how many times you failed, only when you got it.
In Quebec, do people from the big city go to take their driver’s test in a dinky little town like St-Profond-des-Creux? That’s what nervous people sometimes do in Toronto; then they don’t have to worry so much about traffic during the test.
I failed mine twice. The first time, I was way less prepared than I thought I was. I knew road signs and laws and such and could drive just fine on a regular road under regular circumstances. But I had never driven in the rain or had to do lots of backing up or parked on hills. I failed before I even pulled out of the parking spot because I was supposed to find all the buttons and switches “without hesitation”. I had no idea where my flashers or rear defroster were and certainly couldn’t do it “without hesitation”.
I did have a lesson with a driving instructor and that was good because driving instructors know that kind of thing will be on the test. They won’t send you in doing things that are habit for them, but incorrect on the driving test or thinking you’re ready when you’re not. My driving instructor took me out in the neighborhood where they do the road tests and showed me a few different routes they use so that I could see things ahead of time that might trip me up.
Remember, too, that lots of people are nervous. I was terrified. I made several stupid mistakes (like trying to drive with my emergency brake on or forgetting that I had the car in reverse) that I thought would be insta-fails, but they understood that it was nerves and I wouldn’t drive that way normally
It’s so worth it, though. I put mine off longer than normal out of fear/anxiety, but it’s hard to overstate how much easier life is with that degree of autonomy and independence. If you want to go somewhere, you can just GO, you know? You don’t have to fuss with bus schedules or worry about being home before dark or ask someone to take you. And you can play your own music and sing along and not bother anyone or listen to audiobooks or really whatever you want. It’s great.
That’s a relief.